About us

Mission statement

The Library is an information and documentation centre specialising in Archaeology, History, Numismatics and Museum studies. The Library aims to support research and teaching activities as well as to strengthen the development of the National Archaeological Museum’s general objectives.

Vision statement

Becoming a reference library for researchers interested in the subject matters stated in the mission statement with a higher visibility at national and international level.

Reading Room

There are 36 reader places in the Reading Room, free Wifi connection and 4 OPAC workstations to find information and request material.

The library is wheelchair accessible. An induction loop can be found at the Reference Desk to help readers with hearing impairments.

Our collection

The contemporary collection includes all materials published since 1901. The manuscript and old book collection includes more than 3.000 volumes.

The library also houses one of the most important collections of Archaeology and Prehistory periodicals in Europe, coming from the museum’s own collections and the Centre for Historical Studies at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

Our library is part of the state museum library network and our library catalogue is included in the Museum Libraries Union Catalogue (BIMUS) .

Other relevant digital libraries are the Virtual Library of Bibliographic Heritage (BVPB) , Virtual Library of Historical Newspapers (BVPH) and the Bibliographical Heritage Union Catalogue (CCPB) .